Ash collecting wagon body



May 9, 1933. J. A. MQRRRS ASH COLLECTING WAGON BDY 2 Sheets-Sheet lFiled Aug. 23, 1930 a la T5. :\.'2..

flmmoa Y A., ATTQRNEY May 9, 1933 J. A. MoRRls 1,908,167

ASH COLLECTING WAGON BODY Filed Aug. 25, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1.,;ATTOREY Patented May 9, 1933 PATENT OFFICE JAPHETH A. MORRIS, 0F NEWYORK, N. Y.

ASH COLLECTING WAGON BODY Application filed August 23, 1930. Serial No.477,07.

This invention relates to dustless ash cart bodies, more particularlythose of the type in which the refuse is intr'oduced through an openingprovided with a self-closing door or doors. V

One diiiculty with bodies of the above type has been that the refusetends to form 'a conical heap in the body immediately be- Visconstructed with a top which slopes upwardly from the front, rear andside walls and has a central aperture for the reception of a hopper unitwhich is fitted within the aperture and secured in position to cooperatewith doors supported on the top at the inner side thereof. Preferablythe doors are hinged to the top at opposite sides of the aperture'insuch manner as to be closed by spring means to bring their free endsinto relativejuxtaposition along the median of the opening. Thus thefree ends of the doors when opened downwardly, and all the operatingparts for closing the door, occupy positions high up in the body, and donot seriously interfere with the filling of the body to substantiallythe level of the tops of the front, rear and side walls. Means areprovidedfor leveling the entered material from time to time, therebyspreading it into the spaces at the sides and ends of the body where itwould not ordinarilyfiow by the mere action of dumping it through acentral aperture.

Carts used for the collection of ashes or garbage are subjected toextremely severe treatment. Heavy portable containers of iron filledwith weighty materials are thrown carelessly against the cart andfrequently pounded thereon to facilitate discharge of the material.Sometimes the containers or barrels containing the material to bedischarged are swung to a position of rest on the top of the cart, wherethey are inverted and thrown downwardly into the hopper r mouth.

It is, therefore, a further object of the present invention to providean extremely sturdy top construction for the cart and a unit hopperfitting into said top and so associated with the doors and operatingagencies for the doors that upon destruction of the practical value orappearance of the hopper it may be replaced by another one withouthaving to disorganize any of the door supporting or operating mechanism.

The location of the refuse receiving opening centrally in the bodyinstead of at the end thereof prevents the dumping of garbage or cans bypersons standing on the ground. It is necessary to lift the garbage orash cans above the body and then move them horizontally over the latterto bring them into dumping position. To facilitate this operation, stepsare provided, preferably on one side of the body, up which the garbageor ash man may climb for the purpose of dumping the contents of garbageor ash cans through such receiving opening.

The leveling of the refuse within the body casing may be accomplished invarious ways. One simple and highly satisfactory method is to provide anopening in one side wall adjacent the upper margin thereof through whicha rod or the like may be inserted and then swung from side to side tolevel the material within the casing.

rEhe body may be constructed in a number of different forms, and theform illustrated in the accompanying drawings is shown merely by way ofexample.

In the drawings Fig. l is a side elevation of a body constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4;;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4; and 100 Fig. 4is a plan View of the body.

The body is shown apart from the vehicle frame, wheels and so forth, asthe invention resides in the construction of the body and not in theother parts of the garbage wagon or ash cart.

The body comprises a casing formed with a top 10, bottoln 11, front andrear walls 14 and sides 12 and 13. The top 10 is made pyramidical inform with the apex of the pyramid cut away for the reception of thecylindrical body of a conically mounted hopper 15. A downwardlyextending flange around the margin of the central opening in the bodytop provides a convenient method of securing the hopper to the top ofthe body casing.

The bottom of the hopper is normally closed by a pair of spring-helddoors 16, pivotally mounted at 17 on brackets 18, attached to theunderside of the body top 10. To the brackets 18 are attached leafsprings 19 which yieldingly press against the underside of the doors 16and hold them closed against the lower edge of the downwardly projectingbody of the hopper so long as the hopper is empty, as clearly shown inFigs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The pressureexerted by these springs is,however, insulicient to hold the doors closed against the weight of acharge of refuse dumped into the hopper from a garhage or ash can.

The central location of the hopper with respect to the body casing makesit necessary, as already pointed out, to lift the garbage or ash cansabove the body and then move them horizontally over the latter to bringthem into dumping position. For this purpose, it is necessary for theoperator to climb up onto the body, and, accordingly, steps 26 areprovided, attached to one side of the body. A plate 27, attached to theside margin of the top 10 and also by a flange 28, to the upper edge ofthe side wall 13 of the body, serves as a narrow platform on which theoperator may stand while dumping the contents of a garbage or ash caninto the hopper 15. A similar narrow platform 29 may be provided, asshown, along the upper margin of the other side wall 12.

Y The pyramidical form of the casing top raises the bottom'of the hopperand the doors therefor above the top of the side walls of the body, andthereby increases the amount of refuse which may be introduced throughthe hopper before the pile of such material in the body prevents thedoors 16 opening to allow more refuse to enter. When this point isreached, or sometime prior thereto, the material within the casing isleveled oil. For this purpose, an aperture 32 is formed, conveniently inthe side wall 13 of the casing near its upper margin, through which arod 20 or the like may be inserted and then swung from side to side tolevel oil the refuse in the casing and ll the spaces along the sides andin the corners. This operation may be repeated after a further quantityof refuse has been introduced into the body.

To prevent as far as possible the escape of dust and/or odors when theleveling rod 2() is not being used, this aperture is providcd withsuitable closure means, such as a door L21, slidably mounted betweenguiding members 22. The leveling rod 2() is advantageously formed with aring 23 at one end, which serves as a handle when the rod is in use, andas a securing means to engage a hook 24 on thc casing when the rod isnot in use. An eye 25 on the casing serves to hold the other end of rod20 in place.

The contents of the body are conveniently discharged through a door in,and forming a part of, one of its vertical walls. As shown, this door isformed in the rear wall 14 and is arranged to swing outwardly andupwardly about hinges 30. This door is normally held closed by anysuitable fastening device 31.

An obvious advantage of the invention is that the conical mouth ofhopper 15 offers a receiving face for an open-end edge of an invertedash can of cylindrical form, which receiving face is adapted by reasonof its form to the reception of cans of substantially varyingrdiameters. If the hopper mou breaks down under continued use or abuse,it' may be removed and a new one introduced and secured in a positionwhere its lower odge will limit the movement of the doors as they arespring pressed to closure position.

What I claim is:

1. A dustless ash cart body, com rising a casing havin top, bottom,front, ack and side walls, the top wall sloping upwardly from the front,back and side walls and having a substantially centrally located openingtherein for the introduction of material, a conically mouthed hopperhaving a cylindrical body which is fitted in said opening to extendbelow the upper level of the top wall, and self-closing means normallyclosin said opening by abutting the lower ed e o said hopper body, saidmeans being yieldable under weight of material introduced to saidhopper, the conical mouth of said hopper overlying the top wall at theregion around said opening, said hopper carrying none of theself-closing means or the mountings therefor, and being disassociable asa unit from the body.

2. A dustless ash cart body, comprising a casing having connected top,bottom, front, back and side walls, the top wall rising upwardl from thefront, back and side walls to a uni orm extent where it defines asubstantially centrallylocated circular opening, door supporting meanssecured to the under side of said top wall adjacent said opening, a pairof doors mounted for movement on said sup'- porting means, a conicallymouthed hop r having a cylindrical body, the body beingA Xed in the saidopening to project therebeloW in position for the doors to abut the loW-er circular edge thereof when the doors are in closure position, andmeans adapted to close said doors and being yieldable under Weight ofmaterial introduced through said hopper, the conical mouth of saidhopper overlying said top Wall at the region around said opening, saidhopper being a unit separable from the top Wall and the door and doorsupporting means and being therefore removable as a unit for replacementpurposes. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. JAPHETI-IA.. MORRIS.

